Foster Home Found for Boy Accused in Beating

Authorities have tentatively chosen a home for a 6-year-old accused of trying to kill a month-old baby, but the boy may not be leaving his 8-by-10-foot cell soon, officials said Wednesday.

The boy is undergoing psychiatric evaluations at Contra Costa Juvenile Hall pending a competency hearing next month on whether he can face charges of attempted murder in the beating of Ignacio Bermudez on April 22.

After a hearing Wednesday, the Richmond boy’s attorney, John Burris, said his client had learning disabilities but was otherwise a bright child.

“But he doesn’t understand the charges against him,” Burris said. “He is a 6-year-old child.”

Burris said he agreed that the boy should be placed in a special facility and not returned immediately to his family, but the boy’s mother, Lisa Tolliver, said she eventually wants him back home.

“He needs to be at home. We love him, we know how to take care of him,” she said. “I know what’s best for my son.”

The boy is charged with severely beating the baby in the Bermudez family apartment, leaving the infant brain-damaged. The 6-year-old, a neighbor of the Bermudezes, has been in custody at Juvenile Hall since the attack.

Meanwhile, the Bermudez family suffered an unpleasant surprise when they moved to their new Richmond home, in part to get away from the tough “Iron Triangle” neighborhood where the attack took place.

As they were moving in, the family found two 10-year-old boys in the house rummaging through their property, although apparently nothing was taken.